Fate of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  Beverly noticed the brilliant light hanging over the woods. "Time to finish it up," she yelled.

  The attack now began in earnest as the horsemen of Bodden hunted down their enemies. Most of the soldiers surrendered while the mercenaries fought to the last man. They made a final stand near the centre tent, but it was more of a slaughter than a battle. Hayley brought the Orcs closer and finished them off by bow shots after they refused to surrender.

  Beverly looked down at the bodies in disgust. "What a waste of life," she stated.

  A new group of people started making their way into the camp, Aldus Hearn at their head. "I took the liberty of releasing the slaves," he called out, "though I daresay they could use a heal or two from Master Bloom."

  Beverly turned to Heward, "How many prisoners?"

  "About a dozen, all of them soldiers of the king, no doubt from Mattingly's garrison. The man in charge of them is only a sergeant. I doubt he knows much about the expedition itself."

  "We'll take them all with us to Mattingly first and get these commoners returned to their homes," she said. "Then take the prisoners with us back to Tewsbury, along with the scholar, but first we'll have to have a word or two with him."

  "What about the dig?" he asked.

  "Hearn said he could move earth. Let's see if he can re-bury the temple. It's best it remain undiscovered for now."

  "But won't the Dark Queen already know it exists?"

  "Yes," said Beverly, "but we're about to march on Wincaster. Things will be far too hectic for her to organize another expedition."

  * * *

  Two days later they had returned to Mattingly. At Beverly's suggestion, they had not yet interrogated the scholar, letting him fret over his fate as they rode. The villagers of Mattingly were overjoyed to see the return of their loved ones, and the new garrison of footmen, sent by Gerald, were more than happy to put the prisoners to work.

  They kept Summers in a locked room while they made their arrangements. By late evening, they were finally ready to question him. Beverly brought him to the tavern, which had been cleared of villagers for the occasion. Revi, Hayley, Aldus Hearn and Captain Foster, the local garrison commander, were all in attendance.

  Beverly sat the man down at the table, his interrogators arrayed in front of him like a jury. By agreement, they had decided that Revi should lead the proceedings since he was the one most familiar with the Dark Queen and her methods.

  "You are Mathias Summers," said Revi, "is that correct?"

  "It is," the man replied, "but surely there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

  "You were hired, were you not, to undertake the excavation at the behest of Lady Penelope Cromwell?"

  "I was, but there is nothing unusual in that. She is a patron of the arts, after all."

  Revi looked to Hearn in surprise, but the old mage merely shrugged.

  "What is the purpose of your expedition?" asked Hearn.

  "As you may or may not know," began the scholar, "for many years I have been researching the ancestry of Humans in this land. Not our mercenary forefathers, mind you, but the original Human inhabitants."

  "And what have you discovered?" asked Revi.

  The man leaned forward, his excitement evident to all. "It was a most fortuitous circumstance that led me here. I was at the Great Library in Shrewesdale when I received word that my expertise was sought in Wincaster. Someone was interested in my research and, quite frankly, the request came with a generous donation of coins."

  "And so you travelled to Wincaster," said Hayley, "where you were surprised to meet Lady Penelope?"

  "Yes," he admitted. "She told me she had read my work on our Human ancestors and she agreed with my findings."

  "Wait," said Beverly, "what findings do you speak of?"

  "Well," he continued, "it is my theory that all of the mages that live within the realms today are descended from these ancient Humans."

  "So your entire hypothesis," said Revi, "is that the mercenaries that came here had no mages?"

  "Precisely," the man replied, sitting back and smiling.

  "And what led you to this conclusion?" asked Aldus.

  "I have searched through ancient records," he said. "I can tell you it wasn't easy, but I found muster lists from our original mercenary ancestors, but there was no mention of mages."

  "That's it?" asked Revi.

  "What do you mean, that's it? Of course, that's it. What other conclusion could I make?"

  "Did it ever occur to you," asked Revi, "that a simple muster list wouldn't have that information?"

  "A list like that," added Beverly, "wouldn't even specify if someone was a horseman or a footman."

  "Now, had you managed to find pay records," said Hayley, "they would have been much more informative."

  "But you don't understand," said Summers, "the ruins, they prove my hypothesis."

  "How so?" asked Revi.

  "The ruins are clearly the work of early Humans."

  Revi sat back in astonishment. "Why would you say that? Couldn't another race have made them?"

  "When the architecture so closely resembles our own? I think that unlikely."

  "How do you explain the strange writing on the slates?" asked Aldus.

  "Obviously an ancient tongue," the scholar replied. "When our mercenary forefathers came, their own language naturally took precedence."

  Beverly leaned forward, "Then how do you explain the fact that Weldwyn speaks the same language as us? They were never conquered."

  The scholar looked stunned, "I have no explanation for that, but it doesn't invalidate my research."

  "You're research is flawed at the most basic level," offered Hearn, "though I must admit it's of some interest to us. You say that Lady Penelope agreed with your conclusions?"

  "She did," he said with pride. "She related to me how she had received word of an ancient ruin that might serve as proof and offered to fund an expedition there."

  "Did she say who informed her of the site?" asked Revi.

  "Unfortunately, no," he replied, "and the location wasn't precise, but luckily we were able to find it using my calculations."

  "What calculations are those?" asked Revi. "You have me intrigued."

  "Are you familiar with the concept of ley lines?" asked Summers.

  Revi looked nervously at Aldus Hearn and saw the look of shock on his face. He returned his attention to Summers and tried to appear calm. "Vaguely, why?"

  "Ley lines," began the scholar, "are lines of power that run north and south. They are said to carry great energies that mages can tap into."

  "And these 'Ley Lines'," said Revi with emphasis, "what have they got to do with the ruin?"

  "The ruins lie directly over one of them," Summers said with satisfaction. "That is what led me to the area."

  "I thought you said Penelope gave you the location?" asked Beverly.

  "She did, in a very general sense. It was my calculations that pinned down the precise location. Once we arrived, it was a simple matter of looking for a mound."

  "A mound?" asked Hayley.

  "Yes, a mound of earth. Our Human ancestors built temples underground."

  "We looked through the ruins," said Revi. "How do you explain the pictures of lizard men on the walls?"

  "Simple," said Summers, obviously pleased with himself, "our ancestors worshipped gods that took that form. It's only natural for a primitive people to do so."

  "An interesting theory," said Aldus. "You've given us much to consider. Tell me, we found bricks with runes on them, what do you propose their purpose was?"

  "They confused me at first. They were stacked in a sort of miniature pyramid, you see, the runes facing outward. I rather suspect the room might have been a classroom of some type. We may have found evidence of Humans developing the written word!"

  "Astounding," said Revi. "And what of the container of blue liquid we found?"

  "The liquid?" asked Summers. "Oh, yes, I'd forgotten about that."
>
  "What is it for?" asked Aldus Hearn.

  "It was supplied by Lady Penelope," explained Summers. "She indicated it was a Dwarven invention; a mechanical device that produces light. She was going to come and demonstrate its use once the ruins were fully excavated, but we never got to that point."

  "I think we're done here," said Revi.

  "No, wait," said Aldus Hearn, "just one more question?"

  Revi nodded, and the old mage continued, "How much of this did you report to Lady Penelope?"

  "I wrote a number of times," Summers responded, "telling of our initial discovery and its location. I filed my last report about a month ago, just before we breached the ruin."

  "You didn't enter the ruins right away?" asked Hearn.

  "No, I wanted to clear the dirt away first, so that we could determine its layout."

  "So you never told your benefactor about the rune stones?" asked Revi.

  "Rune stones? Why would you call them that? It is an ancient alphabet, nothing more," defended Summers.

  "NOW I think we're done," said Aldus.

  "Agreed," said Revi. “Take him back to his room."

  Beverly marched him off while the others waited for her return.

  Once she sat down, the conversation continued.

  "The man has absolutely no idea it's a gate location," said Hearn.

  "Agreed," said Revi, "nor does he know the magical alphabet when he sees it. A surprising lapse for a scholar."

  "He must be self-taught," said Hearn. "I knew the arcane symbols long before I discovered my inner magic.”

  "He has strange ideas," said Beverly. "Where does he get them from?"

  "Not so strange when you consider things," said Revi. "After all, he does not know of the Saurians."

  "I have looked through his notes," said Aldus, "and I think I can safely say the man is... How shall I put it?"

  "Convinced that Humans are the superior race?" suggested Beverly.

  "Yes, precisely. His prejudice has blinded him. Every piece of evidence, every discovery has been twisted to support his claim. I've read about others who thought this way. Back when Merceria was expanding, they'd come up against the Elves of the Darkwood and had taken heavy casualties. There was some talk of a peace agreement, but the king wouldn't have it. He decreed that Humans were a superior race and then ordered his scholars to find proof. Of course, most of that research is discredited today."

  "So where does that leave us?" asked Beverly. "Do you think Penelope knows about the gates or not?"

  "I think we can assume that she knows about the existence of them, though perhaps not their precise locations. We saw evidence in Westland that the Elves had destroyed the Saurians, wiping them out."

  "Or so they thought," added Hayley.

  "Yes," Revi agreed, "they didn't know there were survivors."

  "If they knew of the gates," asked Hearn, "why didn't Penelope go searching for the others, like Uxley?"

  "I'm guessing her information was incomplete. The war that eliminated the Saurians was fought a very long time ago, perhaps even generations before Penelope's birth. She might have assumed they were all destroyed."

  "Then why the sudden interest now?" asked Hearn.

  "A good question," said Revi, "one to which we might never know the answer. It's clear that Summers knows nothing of value to us."

  "Other than confirming Penelope has failed," corrected Hayley.

  "Thank Saxnor for that," said Hearn. "I shouldn't like to contemplate the alternative."

  "Perhaps we'll learn more when we reach Wincaster," suggested Beverly.

  "Yes," agreed Revi, "a search of her tower might prove most illuminating."

  "Tell me," said Aldus, "you mentioned the tower of Andronicus. Should we be able to find it, do you think it might reveal anything of this mystery?"

  "I doubt it," said Revi. "Andronicus didn't impress me as the type to take an interest in such things. He was more interested in perfecting his spells."

  "What type of spells?" asked Hearn.

  "Many," replied Revi, "but the one that drove him mad was teleportation."

  "Which is?" asked Hayley.

  "It would be like using the gates but could be cast anywhere. He started showing signs of insanity shortly after he began his research."

  "Albreda can do that now," Beverly noted. "She called it a spell of recall. I saw her use it in Queenston."

  "Astounding," said Hearn. "I've heard of Albreda before, of course, but until I came to Tewsbury, I'd never met her. Who was her mentor?"

  "She had none," answered Beverly. "She's a wild mage."

  Aldus Hearn sat back in response, a look of shock on his face. "A dangerous breed."

  "Why," asked Beverly, "because she wasn't trained?"

  "There are safeguards that all mages are taught, all trained mages, that is. Without these safeguards, control could be lost."

  "What kind of safeguards?" asked the knight.

  "Mental exercises, mostly," he replied.

  "I think you're missing the point," said Beverly, defensively. “Without these limitations she's been able to create powerful spells. Perhaps these mental exercises you speak of are limiting your own power."

  "That's an interesting premise," reflected Revi. "I must give it some thought."

  "Surely you're not suggesting we abandon our teachings?" asked Hearn.

  "Abandon? No, of course not, but perhaps it's time we re-evaluate them."

  "I don't understand," said Hayley. "Don't you just let the magic flow through you?"

  "No," replied Revi. "If we let all that raw power spill forth, we'd likely die, or at least that's been the reasoning for generations. The flow of magic must be tightly controlled, just as Beverly will tell you that sometimes a blow with a weapon must be controlled. Without these exercises, the energy would pour out in an uncontrolled manner."

  "I'm still not sure I understand," she said.

  "Imagine a river of water," said Revi. "To harness the power of the river, we build a water wheel. Surely you've seen those?"

  "Yes, of course," Hayley replied.

  "Well, the water wheel only harnesses a portion of the river. If we diverted the whole river toward the water wheel, the force of it would likely break it."

  "I suppose that makes sense," said Hayley.

  "I'd have to disagree," said Beverly. "I'm no mage, but I've seen Albreda's magic. I think she could take a whole river and more."

  "Your loyalty to her is commendable," said Aldus Hearn, "but we can only speculate at the moment. No one knows for sure, but it is definitely a subject worth exploring at a later date."

  "I agree," said Revi, "and I think Albreda would be more than willing to assist, but for now we must temporarily put it to rest. There are far more important things to see to."

  "On that, we are in agreement," said Hearn. "We must examine the vial of mana in more detail once the capital has been retaken, and there's the matter of possibly restoring the Mattingly Mound."

  "The Mattingly Mound?" queried Hayley.

  "It's as good a name as any," added Revi, "what else would we call it? You know, I have some thoughts on how it might be repaired."

  "Fascinating," said Aldus, "I may have been thinking along parallel lines."

  "I think it's about time we were on our way," interrupted Hayley. "Bev, how soon can we ride?"

  "First thing in the morning," the knight replied, "but what do you want to do with Summers?"

  "He's not much use to us," said Revi. "We'll leave him here. I take it that's all right with you, Captain?"

  Captain Foster, who had dozed off during the interrogation awoke with a start. "Pardon me?" he said.

  "We wondered," said Beverly, "if we might leave our prisoner in your care while we return to Tewsbury."

  "Is he dangerous?" asked the captain.

  "Only in his opinions," said Revi.

  "Then I see no problem. I'll keep him locked up with the others."

  "I dou
bt he'll be much use as a worker," said Beverly.

  "Then he won't do labour like the rest of the prisoners."

  "It's important that he is unable to send word to anyone," added Beverly.

  "Understood," replied the captain. "Anything else?"

  "No, that's all," said the knight. "We ride in the morning."

  "Then I wish you safe travels," said Captain Foster.

  Twenty-Nine

  The Army Marches

  Summer 962 MC

  Gerald stabbed down with his fork, puncturing the skin of the sausage. "This looks delicious," he said as the juices dribbled out.

  "Careful, they're hot," said Anna, who delicately sliced her own. "How are yours, Aubrey?"

  "I'm waiting for mine to cool down a bit," the young mage replied, "but the rest is very nice. Do you do this every day?"

  "What, have breakfast?" asked Gerald.

  "We try to have breakfast together whenever possible," said Anna. "It lets us catch up on things. Gerald keeps very busy these days, what with the army and everything."

  "And what do you do to keep busy, Highness?"

  "There's a lot for me to do," Anna replied. "I have to plan out all the changes I need to make once this war is over. I thought I might enlist you to give me a hand, actually."

  "I should be delighted," responded the mage. "What kind of things are you looking at?"

  "I've given it quite a bit of thought," began Anna, "and so there are both short term and long term goals. Where would you like to start?"

  "How about the short term?"

  "Of course the results of the siege will have a big effect since we don't know what we'll find inside the capital, but one of the first things will have to be an amnesty for all nobles, at least those that surrender."

  "Just like that? You're going to pardon them?"

  "As I said," said Anna, "only for those that surrender. I won't negotiate with anyone that holds out. After that, the next step will be to repopulate the ranks of the nobility. We've lost nobles on both sides. The titles will have to be given to someone. We'll need that complete to form a proper noble's council, then we can start changing laws."